Out with old, in with new

Out with old, in with new Subhead City sells equipment, buys workhorse excavator Virginia S. Gilstrap Wed, 07/03/2024 - 07:20 Image

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  The Yorktown City Council meets in City Hall on June 24: (L-R) Mike Rippamonti, Crystal Hurta, Michele Warwas, Mayor Bill Baker, Megan Thomas, Connie Hall and Dickey Rodriguez. A number of subjects were discussed, including a $5,000 a month dip in sales taxes. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

  The Yorktown City Council meets in City Hall on June 24: (L-R) Mike Rippamonti, Crystal Hurta, Michele Warwas, Mayor Bill Baker, Megan Thomas, Connie Hall and Dickey Rodriguez. A number of subjects were discussed, including a $5,000 a month dip in sales taxes. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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While the city is turning junk into bucks with its new GovDeals account, its purchase of a Kubota excavator will pay dividends in proper repairs for years to come, according to Mayor Bill Baker.

Throughout the regular meeting of the Yorktown City Council on June 24, references were made to the ways a new excavator will benefit the city. From street repairs to sewer bed cleaning, digging trenches to installing irrigation systems and shaping terrain, the new equipment will help city crews complete jobs more thoroughly than they currently can without it.

“The city is still cleaning sewer beds by hand,” Baker said before the council voted to purchase a Kubota excavator for $46,067. Later in the Street Committee report, Council Member Dickey Rodriguez said the purchase will alleviate problems because “everywhere we have issues is where water is.”

On the plus side, through its new account on GovDeals, the city has been able to list and sell old equipment that is no longer used: a wood chipper for $8,510; and a Dodge Charger for $1,940. Next month there will be the 900 old water meters available after the new, smart water meters are installed at residences, starting July 15.

In the report on payment of bills, the purchase of a new air conditioner for the library was mentioned. The mayor said one air conditioner was replaced after both units went down. One was repaired and the other could not be repaired.

The council also voted to re-appoint Connie Hall as mayor pro-tem.

On the item of installing new camping spots in the city’s RV park, the council tabled it until more specific figures are received from the contractor. The city has paid $4,000 already for the survey and is looking at another $8,000 to complete the job. However, there was an “other services” statement on the bid on which the counsel wanted more clarification. The mayor also questioned whether it is advisable to install fiber optic lines when the initial work ensues, though he said most RVs there are using Starlink.

Regarding income from taxes, the Hotel Occupancy Taxes (HOTs) are down, according to the mayor, due to the lack of payment by Southern Inn and Suites, owned by the Kayaan Hotel Group.

“We are working to rectify that issue,” Baker said. “We do not know the exact amount as we have not seen their rental records.”

Council approved the proposed budget from the Hotel/ Motel Tax Advisory Committee. Some of the projects include the shared cost of renovation of Yorktown Chamber of Commerce restroom and the ferris wheel.

In addition to the HOTs shortfall, sales taxes are down as well.

“We are down several thousand dollars a month in our sales tax numbers,” Baker said. “This is primarily due to the mistake made by the State Comptroller’s office as well as the loss of multiple businesses in town. We anticipate the numbers to be down a minimum of $5,000 per month, and they certainly could be even more.”

A report from the Ordinance Committee, composed of Megan Thomas and Mike Rippamonti, described the project of reading the 13 chapters of city ordinances. Thomas recommended a special council meeting to review the list of items covered and get a brief overview of recommended changes. She said there are ordinances from the 80s and 90s that the city has no ability to enforce, which will be recommended for changes.

On the Street Committee, Connie Hall and Dickey Rodriguez are almost finished inspecting and grading the quality of streets in order to rank them for repair. Rodriguez said they were pleasantly surprised in some areas where they thought there would be problems.

“We’re all going to see a cleaner picture,” Rodriguez said, referring to a future work session where the full report will be presented.

In his report, the mayor described various ongoing areas of concern that city crews are troubleshooting. He said there are culverts all over town with the ends caved in. He said the work crews have determined they will need to be cut and torched because the bar and lift didn’t work.

In regard to progress in installing fiber optic lines, Baker said the city’s attorney’s have not heard from Verizon Broadband, and he said the company has a history of disappearing mid-project in other towns, such as Cuero and Floresville. He said he will be meeting with representatives from Cuero to see how they resolved the issue.

The mayor said the area of water and sewer repair on Colonial Drive has left the road a mess, and it will need repair.

“There’s not much road left,” he said. “We have to fix it, and I don’t know if we can do it to the level that some would want.”

Baker said he was trying to give a warning that some tough decisions might be coming up on that project.

In other areas of concern, the mayor mentioned that the valves by the RV Park need replacing. He said they just spin and do not cut off flow. He also described a problem area on the hill by Apple Lumber where 800 feet of sewer-line collapse needs repair. Baker said the minimum cost will be $80,000.

On the bright side, six new benches were purchased and donated to the city park by residents.

The next regular City Council meeting will be held on Monday, July 22, at 6 p.m.